Citizenship classes about to begin in Lincoln for dozens of immigrants

LINCOLN, Neb. (KLKN) – A citizenship class begins this week at El Centro de las Americas in Lincoln.

The class will help dozens of people hoping to become citizens to pass the naturalization test, which is one of the final steps toward citizenship in the U.S.

In the current version of the test, an officer evaluates each applicant by asking personal questions in English.

Sarah Kringle, the instructor of the class, said that for many people, it can be difficult to pass the test without a fluent grasp of English.

“They’re going to test them on English, they’re going to test them on reading, writing, they’re going to test them on their historical knowledge of, like, 100 questions that they have to memorize,” she said. “Not many of the people applying for citizenship have the highest reading ability.”

The test has also changed a few times recently, making it harder to study for.

In 2020, the test was changed under former President Donald Trump, making it longer and more difficult to pass.

President Joe Biden has since signed an executive order changing it back to the previous version.

But in December, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services announced that it would be updating the test again to help standardize it.

These classes, funded by grants from the USCIS, are meant to help make it easier.

El Centro and other nonprofits, like the Asian Community and Cultural Center, said they’re hoping to connect anyone who needs the help to the class.

Andrew Farias, grant coordinator for the Asian center, said having these classes can especially benefit those who don’t have anyone else to study with.

“I think that’s something that folks really struggle with when they come to a new country, is finding other people who maybe have similar backgrounds as them,” he said. “Being able to attend a class and have conversations with people who speak the same language can really mean so much to folks.”

Kringle said people can always study on their own, but it’s easier if they’ve practiced with someone ahead of time.

“I have students come in and they tell me, ‘Sarah, I don’t think I can pass this interview because I don’t know English enough.’ And we just finished having a conversation about their family, about what they like to do. And I’m like, ‘No, I think you’ll be fine.'”

The classes are free to the public and will last until September.